Christie's self-serving stunt: Editorial

Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to hold the U.S. Senate election three weeks before the general election in November is a shameless move that will waste at least $12 million and risk the integrity of the vote. For him to present it as a high-minded attempt to empower voters shows what nerve the guy has.

There is no legitimate reason to hold two separate elections, and the reason he’s doing it is purely self-serving. He calculates that more Democratic voters will show up and cast ballots against him if a popular Democratic candidate like Newark Mayor Cory Booker is on the ballot as well. Given the big lead the governor has already, the greed here is striking: He apparently wants to run up his margin of victory as a credential for his 2016 presidential campaign.

Remember, this is the same governor who opposed early voting by citing the extra costs. It seems different rules apply when he stands to benefit personally.

The governor has the unchallenged power to appoint an interim replacement for the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died Monday. The question is what comes next.

He could have allowed his appointee to serve until November 2014, cutting voters out of the process altogether. That would have been tough to justify in a state where voters have not sent a Republican to the Senate in more than four decades. So the governor was right to reject that option.

Tom Moran: 'We're all paying $12 million extra to help Christie' With the death of U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg on Monday, it falls to Gov. Chris Christie to name a temporary replacement. New Jersey state law is ambiguous on whether a special election is required, leaving the governor with a range of options regarding a new election. Star-Ledger editorial page editor Tom Moran breaks down the choices Christie made. (Video by Nyier Abdou/The Star-Ledger)

He could have allowed each party to pick its own candidate without a primary, effectively placing the decision in the hands of party bosses. Again, he was right to insist on a primary. The $12 million cost of that election is justified.

But why hold the special Senate election on Oct. 16? Some Republicans claim state law bans special elections on the same day as regular elections. But that strained reading of the law has never applied before. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-10th Dist.) won a special election last year to replace his late father on the same day he won a primary election to serve a full term in his own right.

Aside from wasting $12 million, Christie’s stunt could create havoc with the November vote. If the Oct. 16 vote is challenged, voting machines could be impounded as a legal fight plays out, which typically takes a month or two. Democrats may have grounds to sue over this concern.

But ask yourself this: Why should they have to? What legitimate reason does the governor have to risk the integrity of the November vote?

This is naked self-interest. And as skillful as the governor is at political spin, that fact is obvious to all.